Mega Millions is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery game. The first draw was held in 2002.
The minimum Mega Millions advertised jackpot is $15 million, paid in 30 graduated yearly installments, increasing 5% each. The jackpot increases when there is no top prize winner.
Historical Facts
- It was earlier called the ‘Big Game’.
- The Big Game tickets began to be sold in most states of the US on August 31, 1996. The Big Game was the brainchild of the then-lottery directors Rebecca Paul (of the Georgia Lottery) and Penelope W. Kyle (of the Virginia Lottery). It was initially drawn weekly on Fridays.
- In January 1999, jackpot winners were allowed to receive their prizes in cash. In May 1999, New Jersey joined The Big Game, the only jurisdiction to enter as a participant before The Big Game became Mega Millions in 2002.
- On May 15, 2002, the game was renamed The Big Game Mega Millions. The “Big Money Ball” became the “Mega Ball.” While the game’s name was altered, the yellow ball in the new Mega Millions logo continued to read “The Big Game” until February 2003, after which it was replaced with six stars representing the six original members of the consortium.
- The Illinois Lottery owns the Mega Millions trademark.
- The first three lotteries to join Mega Millions were Washington (in September 2002), Texas (in 2003) and California (in 2005.
- When Texas joined Mega Millions in 2003, it began offering an option, initially available only to Texas Lottery players, known as the Megaplier, which was similar to the then-current version of Powerball’s Power Play. The 11 Mega Millions lotteries without Megaplier on the January 31, 2010, cross-selling date gradually added the multiplier option; by January 2011, all Mega Millions lotteries, except for California, offered the Megaplier.
- The Texas Lottery owns Megaplier’s trademark.
- For the November 15, 2005 drawing, a group called “The Lucky 7” held the only jackpot-winning ticket, purchased in Anaheim, California. They won $315 million. They chose the cash option, splitting $175 million before federal withholdings. This remains the largest prize won by a single Mega Millions ticket.
- On March 6, 2007, the Mega Millions jackpot reached $390 million, a record for the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history. Two tickets shared the jackpot, both matching the numbers 16-22-29-39-42 and Mega Ball 20. Both winners chose the cash option, with each share of $116,557,083 before withholdings.
How to play Megamillions
To play Mega Millions, players must choose five numbers from a possible 75, then one Mega number from a choice of 1 – 15. Some states can also choose a further number, named the Megaplier, for an additional cost, which will see all non-jackpot wins multiplied between 2 and 5, depending on the number drawn. There are nine prize tiers, ranging from the jackpot, won by matching all five main numbers and the Mega, to the lowest prize, gained by just matching the Mega.
Megamillion Draw
Two draw machines are used for the Mega Millions lottery—the first holds the 75 main balls (white), and the second holds the 15 Mega Balls (Gold). The first draw machine produces five main white balls, and the second produces one gold Mega Ball.
In all states except California, each of the secondary eight prize tiers has a guaranteed prize. In California, the prize structure is pari-mutuel, which means prizes are based on the amount of tickets sold and the number of winners in each prize tier. Winners of the jackpot can choose to accept one single lump sum payout or to spread the payments over 30 years as an annuity payment, where for every US$1 million, the player would receive approximately US$38,500 per year.
Mega Millions draws take place twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday evenings at 23:00 EST. Each draw is held at the studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and is aired on various television channels across America.
Megaplier
In 43 of its 44 US jurisdictions, Mega Millions players can activate a multiplier called Megaplier; it is functionally similar to Powerball’s original Power Play. By doubling the wager in a game (to $2), players can multiply any non-jackpot prize by 2, 3, or 4.
The Megaplier is drawn by the Texas Lottery by a random number generator. Before Powerball’s price increase and subsequent change to a fixed prize table for Power Play, Megaplier had differed from Power Play in two ways: there is no 5x Megaplier, and the odds for each Megaplier possibility are not uniform.
| Megaplier | Odds |
| 2X | 2:21 (9.5%) |
| 3X | 7:21 (33.3%) |
| 4X | 12:21 (57.1%) |
Despite not having a 5x possibility, the extra weighting for a higher Megaplier results in the average expected Megaplier to be 3.476x.
This is similar to the $1 Powerball’s Power Play expectation of just over 3.5x.
Winning and probability
A player wins a prize according to the following chart:
| Normal balls (pool of 56) | Normal balls (pool of 46) | Prize | Approximate probability |
| 5 | 1 | Jackpot | 1 in 175,711,536 (56C5×46) |
| 5 | 0 | $250,000> | 1 in 3,904,701 (56C5×46/45) |
| 4 | 1 | $10,000 | 1 in 689,065 |
| 4 | 0 | $150 | 1 in 15,313 |
| 3 | 1 | $150 | 1 in 13,781 |
| 2 | 1 | $10 | 1 in 844 |
| 3 | 0 | $7 | 1 in 306 |
| 1 | 1 | $3 | 1 in 141 |
| 0 | 1 | $2 | 1 in 74.8 |
Players must choose their Payment options in advance if they win in Georgia, New Jersey, and Texas, whether they wish to collect a jackpot in cash or annuity. Georgia and New Jersey winners can change an annuity ticket to cash should they be eligible for a jackpot share; however, the choice is binding in Texas.
If a jackpot prize is not claimed within the respective jurisdiction’s time limit, each of the 44 Mega Millions members gets back the money they contributed to that jackpot. Each of the 44 lotteries has rules regarding unclaimed prizes; most Mega Millions members set aside unclaimed winnings for educational purposes.
Claiming prizes Mega Millions winners have either 180 days (California non-jackpot prizes only) or one year to claim prizes, including the jackpot (although some Mega Millions winners lose the right to collect a jackpot in cash if they wait more than 60 days after the drawing).
Tickets and Rules
In Australia, you can play Mega Millions online at https://www.thelotter.com/ (the site is listed on the official Mega Millions site). Register, purchase an online ticket, and immediately receive a confirmation email for your account.
The minimum age to purchase a Mega Millions ticket is 18, except in Arizona, Iowa, and Louisiana, where the minimum is 21, and in Nebraska, its minimum is 19.
Generally (Virginia is an exception), minors can win tickets received as gifts; the rules for minors receiving prizes vary according to each Mega Millions member.
Rules vary according to the applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdiction where the ticket is sold and the winner’s residence (e.g. if a New Jersey player wins on a ticket bought near their workplace in Manhattan.) Mega Millions winnings are exempt from state income tax in California and Pennsylvania, while New Hampshire, Texas, and Washington do not have an income tax. On the other hand, some New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, New York residents pay three income tax levels, as these cities levy income taxes.
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